Eye-witnesses identify Saad Aziz and Tahir Hussain in Safoora attack

Five eye-witnesses on Friday identified suspects Saad Aziz and Tahir Hussain for their involvement in the Safoora Goth carnage in which at least 43 people were killed when armed men opened fire inside a bus carrying members of the Ismaili community near Safoora Chowk.

Majority of the eye-witnesses include two women and were those who were injured in the attack.

The witnesses rightly picked up the accused during the identification parade held in the court of a judicial magistrate in Malir and assigned them their roles in the commissioning of the offence.

Police had presented the suspects before the magistrate after legal formalities were conducted.

Previously an eye-witness had identified Saad Aziz, the main accused in the attempted murder of American educationist Debra Lobo, as the man who shot at the US national.

Ms Lobo, a US national and vice principal of Karachi's Jinnah Medical and Dental College, was shot at and wounded in the month of April when four suspected terrorists on two motorcycles attacked her on Shaheed-i-Millat Road.

Earlier, Saad Aziz alias Tin Tin alias John and his accomplices were remanded to police custody in connection with the murder of social media campaigner and human rights activist Sabeen Mahmud.

Aziz — a BBA graduate from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi, is currently under physical remand of security forces in relation to his suspected involvement in over 20 terrorism cases. Taking part in terrorist activities since 2009, Aziz is a trained militant with expertise in producing different types of literature. He provided funds for terror activities in the city.

Tahir Hussain Minhas alias Sain Nazir alias Zahid, alias Naveed alias Khalil, alias Shaukat and alias Mota-matriculate, has been involved in terror activities since 1998. A trained terrorist who has expertise in making bombs and using arms such as RPG-7 and Kalashnikov.

The confessions made by the men relate to the carnage of Safoora Goth, murder of Sabeen Mahmud in Defence, firing on American educationist Debra Lobo, bomb attack on a naval officer and suicide attack on Brigadier Basit of the Rangers, grenade attack on schools and throwing pamphlets in Nazimabad and North Nazimabad, bomb blast and targeted killings on the Bohri community in Arambagh, North Nazimabad, Bahadurbad and Hyderabad, bomb attacks on police vans on M.A. Jinnah Road, Arambagh, Gulberg, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, NIPA Chowrangi, North Nazimabad and North Karachi and the targeted killing of police officials in Gulistan-i-Jauhar, North Nazimabad, North Karachi, Shah Faisal Colony and Landhi.